Watercraft have utilized solar energy to either fully power or supplement the boat's battery. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,047,902, to Little, 6,805,064 to Andersen, and 6,000,353 to De Leu. As the above-listed patents show, these watercraft include designs that incorporate a solar panel positioned directly on the watercraft. This particular design strategy is disadvantageous for several reasons. Firstly, a solar panel positioned directly on the vehicle is susceptible to water or other damage while the watercraft is in use in the water. Additionally, the solar panels on these vehicles are stationary as opposed to rotatable or otherwise adjustable. Their immobility prohibits efficient capture of sunlight. Furthermore, the solar panels are only configured to allow charging of the vehicles they are positioned on, as opposed to additional vehicles. Additionally, the prior art solar panels do not allow for charging of the vehicles when a storage cover is placed over the watercraft as it would block the solar panel. Similarly, prior art solar panel exposure is limited to the particular parking limitations where the trailer is positioned, such that if it is parked under shade or cover, the solar panel cannot be adjusted to capture sunlight efficiently.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art to provide solar panel assemblies for charging electrical batteries in watercraft, that are not susceptible to water or other damage, are configured to efficiently capture sunlight, allow for the charging of more than one watercraft, allow for charging even when a protective cover is placed over the watercraft, and can be oriented to more efficiently capture the sun if parked under shade, such as in a parking lot storage site.